City Manager's Weekly Info Bulletin 7/11/2014

July 11, 2014
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: John J. Caulfield, City Manager

Topics of Interest and Updates

Lakewood SummerFEST is Saturday!

On Saturday, July 12, Lakewood SummerFEST – the community’s largest and most activity packed celebration of the year – takes place at Fort Steilacoom Park. It begins early with the annual Lakewood Triathlon, and it simply gets better throughout the day with music, vendors, entertainment, fun for the kids and outdoor movie. A full schedule of events and offerings is listed here
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But in case you’re still not convinced, here are 10 reasons
why you should attend Lakewood SummerFEST this Saturday.

City Launches 'Community Vision Plan' Page

The City has launched its page for its Community Vision Plan
- a chance for residents of Lakewood to help chart the course of their community.

Lakewood’s visioning process will take into account input received from the community. From this, priorities will be developed and plausible alternatives for Lakewood’s future will be explored. These alternatives will test how decisions made today may drive outcomes in the future and will help expose opportunities and challenges, identify key variables of success, and recommend proactive strategies to achieve a successful outcome. As part of the process, a visioning workshop will be held in September 2014 to bring the community together to build consensus about what the future of Lakewood can and should look like.

Lakewood Asian Film Fest Returns

The inaugural Lakewood Asian Film Fest drew hundreds of cultural film-watchers in 2013.

This year, fans can’t wait to see what the second-annual Lakewood Asian Film Fest – set for Aug. 1-3 at the Lakewood Playhouse – will do for an encore.

The cultural film festival is a joint production of the Lakewood Playhouse and the Lakewood Arts Commission.

The film festival will feature four exciting, award-winning films and is free to the public. The Lakewood Playhouse is located at 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd SW, Lakewood, WA 98499. It can be reached via phone, (253) 588-0042, or online atwww.lakewoodplayhouse.org
.

City Manager Speaks to 'Comcast Newsmakers'

On Thursday, Lakewood City Manager John Caulfield was interviewed for a segment of "Comcast Newsmakers" hosted by Sabrina Register.

The filming took place in a picture-perfect setting: a sun-soaked day in Lakewold Gardens, with plenty of green as a backdrop. Caulfield was one of 10 people interviewed for the upcoming show. More to come.

City Council Honors Marnina Klinkhammer

On Monday, July 7, the Lakewood City Council honored Marnina Klinkhammer, a graduate of Harrison Prepatory Academy, Youth Councilmember and winner of the Association of Washington Cities’ Center for Quality Communities Scholarship.

Klinkhammer read the essay she submitted to AWC as part of the application process. It described her efforts to raise money for the victims of 2013’s Typhoon Haiyan, which ravaged swaths of the Philippines. (Klinkhammer is part Filipino herself)

Check out our video coverage of the event, which featured Mayor Don Anderson honoring her, on the City of Lakewood’s YouTube channel: http://youtu.be/E9px8tP4n0I
.

Congratulations, Marnina!

Police

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit By Former Officer

A Superior Court Judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former Lakewood Police Department officer against the City of Lakewood.

Superior Court Judge Stanley Rumbaugh dismissed the wrongful termination lawsuit by Vic Celis on July 3, 2014. In making his ruling, the Judge stated that during the Leavenworth incident, Mr. Celis was a "disgrace to the uniform." He said Celis obstructed justice, sought and received preferential treatment and he still does not acknowledge using his police officer status. He said Celis engaged in a clear betrayal of the public trust. The Judge stated that there was insufficient evidence to prove the Defendants acted out of racial animus against him.

Council Meetings

The City Council will be holding a study session on Monday, July 14, 2014, beginning at 7:00 p.m., in the City Hall Council Chambers located at 6000 Main Street SW. Agenda items for the meeting include:

Review of fleet and equipment plan.

LED streetlighting financing

Review of City Funds code amendments.

The Transportation Benefit District Board will be holding a meeting following the Council study session on Monday, July 14, 2014, in the City Hall Council Chambers located at 6000 Main Street SW. Agenda items for the meeting include:

Transportation projects funding options.

The City Council will be holding a regular meeting on Monday, July 21, 2014, beginning at 7:00 p.m., in the City Hall Council Chambers located at 6000 Main Street SW. Agenda items for the meeting include:

State of the Library - Ms. Neel Parikh

Appoint members to Public Safety Advisory Committee

Appoint member to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee

Adopt amendments to City Funds code

Approval of Six Year TIP

Expressing intent to utilize a WA Department of Commerce grant and apply for WA State Treasurer’s Local Option Capital Asset lending program for LED streetlighting